Covering the Intersection of Sports and the Law
NCAA rules allow for coaches to deny student-athletes the opportunity to explore transfers. Phil Martelli of St. Joseph’s and Charlie Weis of Kansas have become the poster boys for such actions (see Todd O’Brien and Brock Berglund). But not all coaches have the same perspective on transfers. ESPN Dallas’ Jean-Jacques Taylor has an interesting piece on SMU [...]
Last month, the NCAA expanded the definition of an agent to include those people, including parents, who market student-athletes’ athletic ability for financial gain. This measure closed the so-called “Cam Newton Loophole,” referring to the allegations that Cam Newton’s father sought payment in exchange for his son’s enrollment in college. Because Newton himself was not [...]
Last night, the UConn football program held its annual National Signing Day event, introducing fans to the newest Huskies. The event drew a standing room only crowd, thought to be the best turnout to date. Coach Paul Pasqualoni and his staff were entertaining and enthusiastic. As always, it was a first-class event. Here is the list of players that [...]
When many student-athletes sign their National Letter of Intent (NLI) today, they will be become bound to an agreement that refuses to acknowledge the obvious: coaching changes have become a regular aspect of Division I college athletics. The NLI, however, clings to the unrealistic notion that student-athletes make their college choice based solely on the school, irrespective of [...]
Wednesday, February 1, is National Signing Day for college football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country, and men’s water polo. Although many student-athletes will sign a National Letter of Intent tomorrow, they are not required to do so, as the signing period continues through April 1. For National Signing Day, I’ve updated the post that [...]
Gunner Kiel, the top rated pro-style quarterback in high school football, made news last week when we decided to attend the University of Notre Dame, instead of Louisiana State University. It was the second time that Kiel changed his mind concerning his choice of school. Kiel originally provided a verbal commitment to Indiana, before switching to [...]
Following St. Joseph’s well-publicized refusal to provide former basketball player Todd O’Brien with a release to play at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, another situation has arose in which a college inexplicably refuses to provide a release to a student-athlete seeking a transfer. The student-athlete in question is Brock Berglund, a quarterback at the University of Kansas. Berglund [...]
Boston College (BC) football player wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah’s request for a waiver of the NCAA’s Five-Year Eligibility Rule was recently denied according to Mark Blaudschun of the Boston Globe. For Momah, it appears that this decision is unfair and inconsistent with recent precedent. However, the story provides a good opportunity to review the NCAA’s Five-Year Rule. The NCAA’s most basic [...]
